Learn about all the areas HPRC covers and what “human performance optimization” is.

The Human Performance Resource Center is here to serve Warfighters and their families, commanders, and healthcare providers. If you’ve visited before, you probably know that we focus on “total force fitness.” But do you really know what that means—or how HPRC got started? If you’re curious, check out this PDF that describes HPRC, what we do, and the vast amount of information we cover. In addition, you may have noticed that we use the term “human performance optimization” throughout our site; this article also explains what that means.

Check out HPRC’s new card for tips on helping your mind to be its best.

Does your mind ever get in the way of you being your best? Are your thoughts stuck in a negative rut? Do you wish you knew a strategy for trying to get yourself out of these “thinking traps” that we all fall victim to every now and then? Check out HPRC’s downloadable card—“Change Your Mind for Peak Performance”—which highlights some common mind traps and learn about one strategy that may help.

While the general opinion has been that vigorous exercise too close to bedtime might have a bad effect your sleep, new research questions this belief.

Regular physical activity can make you sleep better­—but how close to bedtime should you exercise? While the general opinion has been that vigorous exercise within three hours of bedtime might negatively affect your sleep, new research is reexamining this belief. Some preliminary studies have found that exercise before bed (both moderate and vigorous) didn’t negatively impact sleep quality. However, more research is needed to better understand truly how exercise closer to bedtime can impact sleep. Remember—there are many factors that contribute to a good night’s sleep. Just be aware that if you exercise in the evening, it might affect how well you sleep at night. Check out HPRC’s Sleep Optimization section for additional information.

"Quit Tobacco, Make Everyone Proud" urges you to get the facts about electronic cigarettes.

If you’re a smoker, you’re probably aware of the products that advertise helping you cut back. One alternative that manufacturers claim is a safe alternative is electronic cigarettes, commonly known as “e-cigarettes.” Their purported safety is largely based on the fact that you’re inhaling tobacco vapor rather than smoke. But are those claims of safety accurate? FDA states that e-cigarettes have not been fully studied, and it is unknown whether they are safe and what their effects are. There is no way for users to know how much nicotine and other harmful chemicals they might be inhaling. According to an article from Quit Tobacco, Make Everyone Proud there are more reasons to think twice

The long-term impact of using e-cigarettes is still unknown.

E-cigarettes are not standardized or regulated. Not only are levels of nicotine and other ingredients unknown, but other hazards such as liquid nicotine leaks or battery malfunctions have occurred.

There also is concern over e-cigarettes appealing to children because many have sweet flavors.

Learn about the Air National Guard’s new resiliency resource for Airmen and their families.

The Air National Guard has launched a new resiliency resource—Ready54—designed for Airmen and their families. The website provides centralized information about the ANG, resiliency resources, and help finding the closest Wing Director of Psychological Health, Chaplain, or Family Readiness Program Coordinator. You can also submit ideas for articles and videos. Why “Ready54”? The Air National Guard motto is “Always Ready, Always There,” and the program provides resources for all 54 states and territories.

DoD’s new Operation Live Well campaign is designed to make healthy living an easy option for service members.

Operation Live Well is a new wellness campaign by the Department of Defense that aims to make healthy living the easy choice and the norm for service members, retirees, DoD civilians, and their families. They point out resources for how to eat better, stay physically active, quit or avoid tobacco, and stay mentally fit. The educational, outreach, and behavior-change initiatives provide tools and resources to help you learn about healthy lifestyles. You’ll also be able to develop your own personalized health plan via the Operation Live Well website soon.

A second part of Operation Live Well is their Healthy Base Initiative (HBI), which aims to help the defense community reach or maintain a healthy weight and avoid tobacco use. Scheduled for launch during the summer of 2013 at 13 military installations and DoD sites worldwide, HBI will offer a range of installation-tailored, health-related programs that will be measured for their effectiveness. The programs that are most successful will eventually be expanded to other installations.

Experiencing an emergency or a crisis can be disturbing. Learn how you can help by providing psychological first aid following a disaster.

Individuals involved in disasters and terrorist attacks often experience psychological trauma that needs both immediate and ongoing attention. In addition to getting medical first-aid to individuals, responders can also help administer psychological first aid (PFA). A few features from the VA’s Psychological First Aid: Field Operations Guide are:

Ensure safetyfirst. Physical needs (medical attention, food, and shelter) take priority. Before you begin PFA, assess whether these other needs have been taken care of. Remember to communicate clearly and be compassionate and polite as you come into contact with survivors.

Stay calm and spread calm. Be patient and pay attention to survivors, who are often in emotional distress, as they convey their story.If they express confusion, reassure them that their behavior is a natural response to the circumstances and offer healthy ways to cope with it. And make sure that your own emotional and physical reactions are not making the situation worse.

Connect with others. Help survivors connect with friends, family members, and other people who can support them. Relationships are invaluable to survivors during traumatic events.

Encourage hope. Help calm fears or worries about the future by reminding survivors that help is on the way and will continue to be available in the future as they recover.

For more information, see the “dos” and “don’ts” in this fact sheet from the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress. Also, download the free PFA mobile app, which supplements the PFA Field Operations Guide to help you administer psychological first aid in the field. Online training and videos are also available; see links on the web page linked above. For more information on healthy ways to cope, check out HPRC’s Mind Tactics domain.

The results from the 2011 DoD Health Related Behaviors Survey show that active duty service members excel in many areas with regard to their health, but there is still room for improvement.

The purpose of the 2011 Department of Defense Health Related Behaviors Survey of Active Duty Military Personnel (HRB) is to assess the health practices of active-duty service members. Substance abuse, mental and physical health, and lifestyle choices are important matters, especially when you need to be at your best for the demands of military life. Certain areas of this study directly affect human performance, and results (as reported in the Executive Summary) show that health behaviors vary between services.

Physical Activity/Body composition

Here are some figures from the Physical Activity/Body Composition portion:

Overall, service members have lower rates of obesity (as defined by BMI) compared to the general public.

More than one-third of active-duty service members age 20 and older were considered to be at a healthy weight, which exceeds the Healthy People goal as well as civilian population estimates.

75% of active-duty members practiced moderate to vigorous physical activity in the 30 days prior to the survey, with Army and Navy personnel having the highest rates.

Almost half of service members do strength training three or more days a week.

Physical health and fitness are key components to optimal fitness. While these numbers are encouraging, there is no doubt that a larger portion of the military should be at a healthy weight and fit enough to fight. Make fitness and weight management your priority for performance.

Sleep

Only 40% of all active-duty personnel surveyed get the recommended seven to eight hours of sleep per night.

Sleep is an important factor in recovery. Poor sleep habits can take a physical and mental toll on your health, your relationships, and your performance.

Tobacco and alcohol

One area where the military could improve is in the use of tobacco products and alcohol:

Almost one-quarter of service members reported smoking a cigarette in the 30 days prior to taking the survey, which is higher than the civilian population and the Healthy People objective.

Smokeless tobacco use is also prevalent in the military with 12.8% of all service members using smokeless tobacco in the month leading up to the survey.

Rates of binge drinking were higher in the military than in the civilian population and more prevalent in the Marine Corps than in any other branch.

Tobacco in any form is detrimental to your health. If you’re thinking about quitting smoking or would like to talk to someone about your alcohol use, there are lots of resources and professionals that can help you achieve your goal.

Stress and mental health

After more than a decade of ongoing war, troops have—and will continue to experience—significant mental stress as a result of their service. In general, 5-20% of service members reported high rates of anxiety, depression, PTSD, and/or other mental health concerns.

The most common military-related sources of stress were being away from family and friends and changes in workload but included financial problems and family members’ health problems.

Women reported experiencing personal sources of stress more often than men did.

Those who drank heavily were more likely to report problems with money and relationships.

Drinking, smoking, overeating, and even attempted suicide are all negative coping factors when dealing with stress. The survey found that the most effective methods of coping were planning to solve problems and talking with friends or family members. Find out how to use productive and effective methods for coping with stress and mental health.

Nutrition and dietary supplements

Being fueled to fight is an important component for anyone in the military. Proper nutrition requires consuming healthy—and avoiding bad and potentially harmful—foods and beverages.

According to the survey, active-duty personnel eat too many unhealthy foods such as snacks, sweets, and sugary drinks and not enough of the recommended servings of fruits and vegetables.

More than one-third of personnel reported daily dietary supplement use.

What you decide to put in your body now may affect your performance and your career later. For more information on nutrition for combat effectiveness, read Chapter 15 of the Warfighter Nutrition Guide. And make sure you know what you’re putting into your body. Dietary supplements are not subject to pre-market approval by the FDA, and there are many ingredients that may do more harm than help. You can learn more about dietary supplements at Operation Supplement Safety. And for more information about the Health Related Behavior Survey, visit TRICARE’s webpage.

Learn how to use deep breathing for relaxation through HPRC’s downloadable instruction card.

You may have heard how deep breathing can help you relax and focus, but have you tried it yet? It’s a great strategy for helping your mind and body relax, but maybe you don’t know how to do it. You can learn how—and keep reminders handy—with this downloadable card that HPRC created recently for the Strong B.A.N.D.S. campaign. Try it out.

You probably know exercise has positive effects on your physical health, but physical fitness and regular exercise have many benefits for your mind too.

You know the positive effects of exercise on your health: how it can benefit every part of the body and dramatically extend your lifespan. But did you know that—in addition to reducing risk factors for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and hypertension—exercise also can play a role in helping some mental health issues? Physical fitness and regular exercise appear to buffer against depression and anxiety, promote calmness, enhance mood, and help protect against the negative effects of stress.

Exercise also can benefit your brain in other ways. Exercise benefits learning and memory, protects the brain from degeneration, and increases the brain’s ability to adapt after new experiences. Physical fitness and regular exercise promote both physical and mental resilience—something that is important for all to think about.

Check out HPRC’s Physical Fitness domain and the Family Fitness section of HPRC’s Family & Relationships domain for resources to improve your physical fitness.

2010

Some documents are in a PDF format. Download Adobe Acrobat Reader here.

Linking Policy:

The appearance of a hyperlink does not constitute endorsement of the linked website or the information, products or services contained therein by the United States Government, Department of Defense, uniformed services or Uniformed Services University. For other than authorized activities such as military exchanges and morale, welfare, and recreation sites, the Department of Defense, uniformed services and the Uniformed Services University does not exercise any editorial control over the information you may find at this location. This link is provided consistent with the stated purpose of this military web.

Anonymous Information Gathering:

HPRC allows AddThis to collect certain anonymous information when you visit our website. They use non-personally identifiable information during your visits to this and other websites provide advertisements about goods and services likely to be of greater interest to you. These companies typically use a cookie or a third party web beacon to collect this information. To learn more about this behavioral advertising practice, you can visit www.networkadvertising.org.